Carton



y 1963 J. R. REDPATH ETAL 3,099,383

CARTON Filed April 9, 1962 INVENTOR F/GT 3 JOHN E. REOPATH ZAQRfA/Cf 5. Wysocm BY ORNEY United States Patent 3,099,383 CARTON John R. Redpath, Western Springs, and Lawrence S. Wysocki, Chicago, 111., assignors to Chicago Carton Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 185,940 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-52) This invention relates to an improvement in cartons, and deals particularly with a carton having a handle foldably connected thereto by means of which the carton may be carried.

Crackers or cookies have long been produced which are cut in the shape of various animals and known to the trade as animal crackers. For many years these crackers have been packaged in a small rectangular carton to which a fabric tape carrier handle is secured. The carton is generally of trunk style and has a hinged cover provided with a tuck flap which tucks inwardly of the front wall to close the car-ton. The fabric tape is normally secured to the end walls at points spaced from the upper edges thereof so that the handle may extend over the top panel for carrying purposes, or may be swung down along the front or rear panel to permit the cover to be opened.

Various carrying cartons have been produced in which a generally U-shaped handle is cut from a panel of the carton and which may be folded up into right angular relation to the panel from which it is cut to serve as a means of carrying the carbon. However, in normal circumstances, when the handle is folded up into operative position, an opening is formed in the panel from which the handle is cut so that the carton is partially open. It is an object of the present invention to provide a handled carton which may be used for containing animal crackers or other products and which remains closed even while the handle is in use.

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a carton of the type described which can be produced much more economically than cartons having a fabric tape or cord handle and yet which accomplishes the same general result.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a carton of the type described in which the top cover panel and tuck flap are of double thickness and which are thus relatively strong and rigid. The handle is cut in the outer layer of this cover panel and may be folded upwardly from the cover panel for use in carrying the carton. Due to the rigidity of the cover panel, the weight of the carton contents does not cause the cover panel to bow up appreciably as it would if the cover panel were of single thickness.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims:

In the drawings forming a part of the specification;

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the carton with the handle folded upwardly into carrying position.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view transversely through the carton shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the carton is formed.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of an end of the blank shown in FIGURE 3 at the completion of the gluing operation.

The carrier carton A includes a rectangular front panel a bottom panel 11, a rear wall panel 12, and a top panel 13. These panels are foldably connected along parallel fold lines 14, 15, and 16. A tuck flap 17 is hingedly connected to the top panel 13 along a fold line 3,099,383 Patented July 30, 1963 19. In usual practice, the fold line 19 comprises a cut crease.

A tuck flap reinforcing panel 20 is hingedly connected to the free end of the tuck flap 17 and is adapted to fold into substantially contiguous relation thereto. A top reinforcing panel 21 is foldably connected to the reinforcing tuck flap 20, and is adapted to fold into contiguous relation with the top panel 13 when the blank is folded along the fold line 22 connecting the tuck flap 17 and the reinforcing tuck flap 20. The fold line 23 connecting the reinforcing tuck flap 20 with the reinforcing top panel 21 is then in registry with the fold line 19 connecting the top panel 13 with the tuck flap 17.

Rectangular end wall flaps 24 are hingedly connected along parallel fold lines 25 to opposite ends of the front wall panel 10'. Angular locking slots extend diagonally from the fold lines 25. End wall flaps 27 are foldably connected to the ends of the rear wall 12, the lower ends of the flaps 27 being cut diagonally as indicated at 29', and hook shaped locking tongues 30 project downwardly from these diagonal cut lines. The locking tongues 30 are designed to engage in the locking slots 26 to hold the carton end walls closed.

The bottom panel 11 is also provided with end flaps 31 connected thereto along the fold lines 25, the flaps 31 are notched along the diagonal cut lines 32 so that the flaps 31 can fold between the front wall flaps 24 and rear wall flaps 27 without interfering with the locking operation.

Top closing flaps 33 are hingedly connected to the rear wall end flaps 27 along extensions of the fold line 16. These flaps 33 are designed to fold down into coplanar relation beneath the cover panel when the carton is closed.

A generally U-shaped handle 34 is formed in the top panel 13, the handle 34 being foldably connected to the top panel 13 along aligned fold lines 35 parallel to the fold line 16 connecting the top panel 13 to the rear panel 12. The handle 34 is defined by an outer generally Uashaped cut line 36 and an inner U-sha-ped cut line 37, both of which cut lines terminate at the fold lines 35.

In the production of the cartons, glue is applied to an area 39 of the reinforcing panel 21 and the blank is folded along the fold line 22 to fold the tuck flap 20 and reinforcing panel 21 in substantially contiguous relation to the tuck flap 17 and top panel 13. The reinforcing panel 21 is adhered to the under surface of the top panel 13. As a result, the handle 34 may be hinged upwardly into right angular relation to the cover panel 13- when the canton is closed. Grasping the handle is simplified by the fact that the outer out line 36 extends along the fold line 19 so that the edge of the handle forms a part of the margin of the top panel 13. The weight of the contents do not cause the top panel to bow upwardly to any marked degree due to its attachment to the reinforcing panel 21. The junotures between the top panel 13 and tuck flaps 17 are notched as indicated at 40 at opposite ends of the fold line 19, and the area between the tuck flap 20 and panel 21 are also notched as indicated at 41 at opposite ends of the fold line 23. The edges of the flaps 33 are notched as indicated at 42 so that the portions 43 of the flap edges adjoining the end walls may project through the registering notches 40 at 41 to lock the cover closed.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principles of construction and operation of our improvement in Canton, and while we have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A carrier carton including a paperboard body ineluding a bottom Wall, andreotangularly arranged side and end Walls connected thereto to extend upwardly therefrom, a top panel hinged to one of said side Walls and including a truck flap foldable inwardly of the opposite side wall, flaps fold-ably connected to said end Walls and foldable beneath said top panel, a reinforcing member hingedly connected to said tuck flap along a line of fold parallel to that connecting said tuck flap to said top panel, said reinforcing member including a tuck reinforcing flap and a top reinforcing panel, means connecting said [tuck reinforcing flap and top reinforcing panel in face contact with said t-uck flap and said top panel to provide a double thickness area, and a handle cut from the upper thickness of the top and foldably connected thereto.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said top reinforcing panel underlies said top panel.

3. A carrier carton including a paperboard body including a bottom Wall, and rectangularly arranged side and end walls connected thereto to extend upwardly therefrom, a top panel hinged to one of said side walls and including a tuck flap foldable inwardly of the opposite side Wall, flaps foldably connected to said end Walls and foldable beneath said top panel, a reinforcing tuck flap hingedly connected to said tuck flap along a line of fold parallel to that connecting said tuck flap to said top panel, said tuck reinforcing flap being folded into face contact with said tuck flap, and a top reinforcing panel hinged to said tuck reinforcing flap and secured in face contact With said top panel, and a generally U-shaped handle cut from said top panel and foldably connected thereto.

4. The structure of claim 3 and in which said tuck reforcing flap and top reinforcing panel are substantially contiguous with said truck flap and top panel.

MacLellan Jan. 6, 1925 Rendall Nov. 23, 1954 

1. A CARRIER CARTON INCLUDING A PAPERBOARD BODY INCLUDING A BOTTOM WALL, AND RETANGULARLY ARRANGED SIDE AND END WALLS CONNECTED THERETO TO EXTEND UPWARDLY THEREFROM, A TOP PANEL HINGED TO ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND INCLUDING A TUCK FLAP FOLDABLE INWARDLY OF THE OPPOSITE SIDE WALL, FLAPS FOLDABLY CONNECTED TO SAID END WALLS AND FOLDABLE BENEATH SAID TOP PANEL, A REINFORCING MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID TUCK FLAP ALONG A LINE OF FOLD PARALLEL TO THAT CONNECTING SAID TUCK FLAP TO SAID TOP PANEL, SAID REINFORCING MEMBER INCLUDING A TUCK REINFORCING FLAP AND A TOP REINFORCING PANEL, MEANS CONNECTING SAID TUCK REINFORCING FLAP AND TOP REINFORCING PANEL IN FACE CONTACT WITH SAID TUCK FLAP AND SAID TOP PANEL TO PROVIDE A DOUBLE THICKNESS AREA, AND A HANDLE CUT FROM THE UPPER THICKNESS OF THE TOP AND FOLDABLY CONNECTED THERETO. 